5 Days to Fall in Love
by Rune-Spirit
Summary: PaixZakuro Zakuro is attacked one night, only to be rescued by the enemy. Is this the start of a beautiful friendship, or something more? Or, is this just an elaborate plot by the aliens to defeat the Mews once and for all?
1. Monday: Part I

RS: For the record, not only is this my first Tokyo Mew Mew fanfiction, but I had only seen a few episodes of the dubbed anime when I started this story, none of which contained Taruto, Purin, Pai, or Zakuro. This is purely based on other fictions! And FYI, this will mainly focus on Zakuro, I think.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. If I did, Zakuro would have much bigger parts and end up with Pai, Ryou would return Retassu's feelings, and Taruto and Purin would give in to their practically canon crushes on one another.

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**5 Days to Fall in Love**  
**Chapter 1**

Monday-

With an emotionless mask of indifference covering her face, Zakuro breathed in the crisp night air until it filled every crevice of her lungs. Exhaling slowly, she sighed. Her knee high boots' four-inch heels clicked on the pavement, black leather shining from the streetlights, its sound mingling with the clanging of her silver bangles. The black miniskirt swayed slightly in the wind, its two vertical lavender stripes even with the sides of her legs. She hugged her black jacket closer and grabbed her matching newsboy cap to prevent it from flying off in the wind. A silver crucifix bounced from a chain around her neck against her chest, clad in a lavender tube top. The words 'Gentle… but Brutal' were slanted haphazardly across her bust in faux black spray-paint.

The young superhero had taken to long walks through the darkened city and was quite confident that she needed no protection, regardless of the well-known dangers that lurked. She felt that, while normal women definitely should not be wandering without at least a small can of pepper spray, a member of team Mew Mew, such as herself, was fully capable of basic self-defense.

Further more, she was in dire need of quiet time to contemplate and be away from the other girls she called her friends. Work earlier had been exceedingly stressful, causing her to jump at the chance to leave. While she would always love those women like long lost sisters, and Ryou and Keiichiro like long lost brothers, they had a tendency to pry into other people's business. Especially Ichigo. Minto was just as bad, due to her occasionally annoying inclination to use the celebrity as a role model. And, with all the crushes she knew those girls had, they'd recognize her conflict immediately.

Everyone has his or her slight infatuations during teen years, even the most stoic. The only real difference is the type of people stoic teens become infatuated with. Rather than going for the sweet, popular one they could never have, the more unemotional teens go for another type of unattainable person: the ones like them. Yes, they go for their fellow teens that harbor an indifferent expression and are perhaps the 'bad boy' or 'bad girl'. This was even true for her.

But it was just an adolescent crush, of course. An adolescent crush that was infecting her mind like a virus, seeping into every pore of her brain until she could no longer focus on anyone or anything other than the object of her desire. More than once she had come close to letting his name slip off her tongue. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his strong, chiseled features. He had her rapped around his little finger, and didn't even realize it. Of course, it didn't help that she often heard his name daily at work when some people ordered. Bored of the almost semi-busy street, she turned into a darker side lot.

"Lil guhls shuhn't be wanduh'in roun' uh terrato'ies." Zakuro spun around to face the interrupting party. A slurred, barely understandable voice had sent the hairs on the back of her neck bristle in caution as a group of men circled around her. Amethyst eyes darted across each of the offenders, able to determine that they were a group of drunken gang members. Most of them held some form of weaponry in their large, burly hands. Be it chains, a pocketknife, or a broken beer bottle, she had to admit that they managed to appear intimidating.

"Can I help you?" her voice came out cold and unemotional. She didn't bother moving her stance into a fighting position, surprising them could work to her advantage. Hopefully she wouldn't have to fight them. Of course, hoping can only get you so far. Calmly regarding them as they watched her, she waited for one to move.

"I dunno pretty lady, can ya?" she grimaced, as particularly greasy member looked her up and down while taunting suggestively. Rolling her eyes she sneered in response, earning a slight glare from him. However, the group mostly just seemed amused that a lone, seemingly muscle less girl had the audacity to stand up to them: a rowdy group of dangerous gangsters.

"Cool yo'self," another one grinned while looking at her in the same way, "yo' gonna hafta shauh."

"Share this." She flipped her middle finger at the opposing parties angrily. The men only laughed or 'ooo'ed rather than being at all intimidated.

"Hey, ah know you," one of the more semi-sober members pointed a finger in her direction, "you dat supuh model, pop star, actress guhl, o' whatevuh."

"Yeauh," another agreed, "Zakuro Fujiwara. Yo' wuh on dat billboahd uptown." The other members began looking at her more carefully and agreed.

"As much as the fact that a group of lowlife street scum knows who I am elates me, I'm afraid I'll have to be going." Holding her head high she walked toward one of the gaps between men. However, they and a third member moved into her path.

"So'y guhly," the first speaker and presumed leader spoke, his bleach-blond spikes appearing almost luminescent "bu' you can' go jus' yeauht. We still gotta get much mo'… _acquain'ed_." More chuckling and a few catcalls mixed in with some cheering bounced off the brick walls surrounding them and the other alleyways.

"Oo, 'acquainted', I'm impressed. Did you learn that big bad word all by yourself?" She rolled her eyes. "As much as the idea of getting 'acquainted' with you makes me feel oh so warm and fuzzy inside, I think I'll pass. Now," she turned toward the three standing before her, "would you kindly step to the side, please?" Unfortunately for her, the group was getting somewhat annoyed at her seemingly endless spunk.

"Ah'm afraid you ain't got a choice in da madduh', guhly." The group chose this time to close in a bit, making a tight barrier all around her. In return, she discarded what little politeness she'd been approaching them with.

"Get out of my way." Zakuro spoke in a low, menacing tone. The group only narrowed their eyes and smirked.

"Ya ain't paid da toll yeauht." A hand connected with her butt with a loud smack. She whipped around, a fiery anger burning in her eyes.

"Don't touch me!" She growled in fury. She was going to have to fight them soon. Using her power pendant meant that not only could she end up killing them but also that her Mew Mew identity would become public, and she couldn't risk that. No, she would have to fight this one relying on her natural born abilities.

"O' else yuhl whauht?" another guy pinched her, causing her to turn back around, only for two members to smack her again.

"Are you really sure you want to find out?" she hissed in response to the man's question.

"Sho' thang guhly!" the leader called.

"Oo baby, make it huht so good!" another joked.

"Fine," she smirked, "suit yourselves." She jumped the guy in front of her.

Zakuro's fist collided with the gangster's nose, causing a sickeningly audible crack. The man clutched his nose, shrieking in pain as blood poured through the cracks of his fingers. He had fallen to his knees. The group stood, blinking for a moment, before rage kicked in. She was met with a flurry of fists from all different directions, and all dodged with expert precision. Ducking down, she swept her foot and brought knocked over two more. After that, they took out the heavy artillery.

A chain had rapped itself around the arm of the violet-haired defender, attached on the other end was a gang member. Locking her elbow, she swung her arm in the opposite direction as hard as possible, knocking the gangster to his knees. Another one of the offenders came at her with a broken glass bottle. Seeing him just in time, she moved to the left, yet it still managed to graze her right cheek. The same guy was able to throw a punch that collided with the diagonal cut reaching up her face. At that point she threw a kick directly into his gut, resulting in his having the wind knocked out of him. Never underestimate a four-inch heel.

"Ah!" Her head swung around, amethyst orbs widening, to see where the pocketknife had been embedded in her shoulder. Biting her lip to stop from crying out anymore, she kneed the knife wielding gang member in the crotch before punching him dead center in the mouth. Ducking under another beer bottle, she sprung up and landed a kick on another's head. However, her victory was short lived.

A nauseating 'thunk' was heard as the gang leader's lead pipe connected with the left side of Zakuro's head. She fell to the ground moaning, with blurred vision. The last thing she saw was a figure jumping down, seemingly from a rooftop.

**End Chapter

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RS: Don't worry, the chapters _will_ get longer! Ok, I already have 2-5 written and ready to be uploaded. Review s'il vous plaîte!


	2. Monday: Part II

RS: Taddaa!

_Kida:_ YAY! Another PaixZakuro shipper! You should check out my C2 community, Lavender Love. There isn't much there yet, but… Anyway, thanx for the great compliments. I work very hard on my fics.

_Switchfootfan887-_ Thanks; here ya go!

_Mintogirl-_ Thanx! I made them hard to understand on purpose. They were drunk, so their words were slurred, and had thick accents from… somewhere. --' I probably should've thought that through more. Oh well. Besides, decoding them was part of the fun! … I think.

_Dejiko-_ Thank you, Zakuro's my favorite too! I'm glad you like it so much; I put a lot of effort into making it not suck. I'm happy Zakuro isn't OOC; I was worried she'd be totally different. Please tell me if I got Pai right!

_Mew Lemon-_ Thank you very much! Here's what you asked for.

_Cherry-A-La-Mode-_ Thanks! Though what do you mean by 'carried away'? (Constructive criticism please!)

_Black Mistress-_ I'm glad, always aim for interesting. What happens if they start swarming or attack all at once! . We'd better keep on our toes.

_Shiroi Kitsune-_ Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I'm still going to wait a bit between each chapter so I have time to write, though.

_Mew Lizzy-_ OKAY!

_MOKUBASgirl-_ Thanksfor the awesome review! Here ya go!

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**5 Days to Fall in Love**

**Chapter 2**

Monday-

(An: yes, this will seem somewhat repetitive, but don't skip anything or you may miss it. I'm using an artistic tool to show how perfect the two characters are for one another. So don't skip, just read!)

With an emotionless mask of indifference covering his face, Pai breathed in the crisp night air until it filled every crevice of his lungs. Exhaling slowly, he sighed.

The young alien had taken to long walks through the darkened Earth city, and was quite confident that he needed not to hide his oddities, regardless of the well-known fact that humans did not have large, pointed ears. He felt that, while in daylight he and his teammates definitely should not be wandering around without at least a rough plan of attack, in the dark of the night no such guidelines applied.

Further more, he was in dire need of quiet time to contemplate and be away from the other boys he called his teammates. Being locked in a ship earlier had been exceedingly stressful, causing him to jump at the chance to leave. While he would always secretly consider those two boys his closest, and only, friends, they had a tendency to pry into other people's business. They were worst when working together. And, with the relentless crushes he knew both had, they'd recognize his conflict immediately.

Everyone has his or her slight infatuations during teen years, even the most stoic. The only real difference is the type of people stoic teens become infatuated with. Rather than going for the sweet, popular one they could never have, the more unemotional teens go for another type of unattainable person: the ones like them. Yes, they go for their fellow teens that harbor an indifferent expression and are perhaps the 'bad boy' or 'bad girl'. This was even true for him.

But it was just a temporary Earthling crush, of course… like a disease or sickness. A temporary Earthling crush that was infecting his mind like a virus, seeping into every pore of his brain until he could no longer focus on anyone or anything other than the object of his desire. More than once he had come close to letting her name slip off his tongue. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her soft, gorgeous features. She had him rapped around her little finger, and she didn't even realize it. Of course, it didn't help that he heard her name daily when plotting with the boys. Bored of the sidewalks, he made his way up to a rooftop.

"Lil guhls shuhn't be wanduh'in roun' uh terrato'ies." Pai curiously walked to the edge of the roof and looked down to watch the interrupting party. He was surprised to see the very girl he'd been contemplating spin around to face the same person. Grey eyes darted across each of the offenders, able to determine that they were a group of drunken gang members. Most of them held some form of weaponry in their large, burly hands. Be it chains, a pocketknife, or a broken beer bottle, she seemed to believe they appeared intimidating. Not many were able to tell what such an impassive person, but being so similar to her himself he possessed the ability to do so.

"Can I help you?" her voice came out cold and unemotional. She didn't bother moving her stance into a fighting position, surprising him in more ways than one. It made her seem inexperienced and he thought it showed she didn't think she would need to defend herself. Hopefully she wouldn't have to fight them. Of course, hoping can only get you so far. She calmly regarded them as they watched her, apparently waiting for one to move.

"I dunno pretty lady, can ya?" she grimaced, as particularly greasy member looked her up and down while taunting suggestively. Pai's fists tightened on the bricks he was leaning on, angered at the way he looked at her. Rolling her eyes she sneered in response, earning a slight glare from him. However, the group mostly just seemed amused that a lone, seemingly muscles girl had the audacity to stand up to them: a rowdy group of dangerous gangsters. He was only happy that she seemed completely uninterested, but worried a bit about the fact that they weren't as unamused as she was.

"Cool yo'self," another one grinned while looking at her in the same way, "yo' gonna hafta shauh." The observing alien growled quietly. He toyed with the idea of going down to help her, but decided against it. She could undoubtedly take care of herself. He'd sit this one out.

"Share this." She flipped her middle finger at the opposing parties angrily. He chuckled, almost throwing his head back at her attempt to be semi-intimidating. She didn't mean for it to be completely serious, it was a half-joking intimidation. The men only laughed or 'ooo'ed rather than being at all intimidated.

"Hey, ah know you," one of the more semi-sober members pointed a finger in her direction, "you dat supuh model, pop star, actress guhl, o' whatevuh."

"Yeauh," another agreed, "Zakuro Fujiwara. Yo' wuh on dat billboahd up town." The other members began looking at her more carefully and agreed. Pai quirked a brow, wondering how things would go now that they had figured out who she was and if they would just let the celebrity go. He doubted that, if it did have an affect, it would be in her favor.

"As much as the fact that a group of lowlife street scum knows who I am elates me, I'm afraid I'll have to be going." He chuckled as he listened to her sarcasm and watched her. Holding her head high she walked toward one of the gaps between men. However, they and a third member moved into her path.

"So'y guhly," the first speaker and presumed leader spoke, his bleach-blond spikes appearing almost luminescent "bu' you can' go jus' yeauht. We still gotta get much mo'… _acquain'ed_." More chuckling and a few catcalls mixed in with some cheering bounced off the brick walls surrounding them and the other alleyways. The achromatic eyed alien was beginning to go from amused back to angry.

"Oo, 'acquainted', I'm impressed. Did you learn that big bad word all by yourself?" She rolled her eyes. "As much as the idea of getting 'acquainted' with you makes me feel oh so warm and fuzzy inside, I think I'll pass. Now," she turned toward the three standing before her, "would you kindly step to the side, please?" Unfortunately for her, the group was getting somewhat annoyed at her seemingly endless spunk. The observing party was nervous for a moment, but reminded himself of how strong she was.

"Ah'm afraid you ain't got a choice in da madduh', guhly." He wondered if maybe they were too much to handle, but once more told himself that she could handle these bastards with less trouble than when she fought a Kirema Anima. The group chose this time to close in a bit, making a tight barrier all around her. In return, she discarded what little politeness she'd been approaching them with.

"Get out of my way." Zakuro spoke in a low, menacing tone. The group only narrowed their eyes and smirked.

"Ya ain't paid da toll yeauht." A hand connected with her butt with a loud smack. Pai's vision grew a tad pink at the edges in result to his anger. _No one_ had a right to touch her like that. Meanwhile, she whipped around, a fiery anger burning in her eyes.

"Don't touch me!" She growled in fury. He knew she was going to have to fight them soon, and came to a sudden realization. Using her power pendant meant that not only could she end up killing them but also that her Mew Mew identity would become public, and she couldn't risk that. No, she would have to fight this one relying on her natural born abilities. That could pose a problem.

"O' else yuhl whauht?" another guy pinched her, causing her to turn back around, only for two members to smack her again. The alien's sight tuned to a deeper pink, now slightly red, coming from just the corners of his eyes and spreading towards the middle.

"Are you really sure you want to find out?" she hissed in response to the man's question.

"Sho' thang guhly!" the leader called.

"Oo baby, make it huht so good!" another joked.

"Fine," she smirked, "suit yourselves." She jumped the guy in front of her.

Zakuro's fist collided with the gangster's nose, causing a sickeningly audible crack. The man clutched his nose, shrieking in pain as blood poured through the cracks of his fingers. He had fallen to his knees. The group stood, blinking for a moment, before rage kicked in. She was met with a flurry of fists from all different directions, and all dodged with expert precision. Ducking down, she swept her foot and brought knocked over two more. After that, they took out the heavy artillery.

He furrowed his brow in slight worry. She was going to fight them weaponless and outnumbered. Why didn't she just run away, since she had slightly superhuman speed even in this form? Was she _insane_? It was the fifteen of them versus just one of her. Shaking his head he convinced himself that she wouldn't bite of more than she could chew.

A chain had rapped itself around the arm of the violet-haired defender, attached on the other end was a gang member. Locking her elbow, she swung her arm in the opposite direction as hard as possible, knocking the gangster to his knees. Another one of the offenders came at her with a broken glass bottle. Seeing him just in time, she moved to the left, yet it still managed to graze her right cheek. The same guy was able to throw a punch that collided with the diagonal cut reaching up the side of her face. At that point she threw a kick directly into his gut, resulting in his having the wind knocked out of him. Never underestimate a four-inch heel.

He had finally figured out a good reason for girls to wear heals. Suddenly catching himself leaning over the railing, close to falling off, his eyes never left the ongoing battle bellow. It was taking every once of will power he possessed not to jump down there and defend her himself. But no, he couldn't do that. They were enemies; there were too many complications. He forced himself to just sit back and watch.

"Ah!" Her head swung around, amethyst orbs widening, to see where the pocketknife had been embedded in her shoulder. Biting her lip to stop from crying out anymore, she kneed the knife wielding gang member in the crotch before punching him dead center in the mouth. Ducking under another beer bottle, she sprung up and landed a kick on another's head. However, her victory was short lived.

A nauseating 'clink' was heard as the gang leader's lead pipe connected with the left side of Zakuro's head. She fell to the ground moaning, and he cracked. They were either going to kill, rape, or beat her, perhaps a mixture of all three. He couldn't stand for that. Not even bothering to draw his weapons first, he leapt down to the scene bellow. He hadn't taken note of the fact that his sight had turned to a dark, blood color.

Pai landed in the direct path the gangsters had hoped to take in order to get to their prey. He kept his held tilted down; looking mysterious and deadly as he slowly drew out his fans. The men gazed at him curiously, hardly able to make out his form in the shadows.

"You know," he taunted, "that's really not the way to treat a lady." If you had looked closely, you'd have seen him shake slightly with anger. Of course, it's not common to look closely at someone you meet on a dark side road and these guys were drunk anyway, so…

"Hn, whuddo you know 'bout how ta treat bitches?" the aliens fists tightened around his weapons as he surged with anger.

"Just let me take the girl," he growled, "and no harm shall come to pass." The leader opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a whisper from one of his fellow gangsters. Most wouldn't be able to hear, or understand, what the bear-like man had said, but there are some advantages to his abnormal ears.

"Ah'll take ca'e o' him, boss." The voice was low, rumbling like a grizzly.

"Take care of who," Pai stepped into the light, earning gasps and causing the gang members to stumble backwards "… me?"

"L-le's get outuh here!" they scattered, tails tucked between their legs as he sheathed his fans. Turning, he picked up her discarded hat before lifting Zakuro into his arms the way a newly wed man held his wife. She subconsciously snuggled into him, tightly gripping his shirt in her petite fists.

Looking down, he resisted the urge to smile and pulled her closer to his strong chest. He noticed a small piece of paper fall out of her coat pocket. Laying her against a brick wall, he opened it and read.

Meeting, Café Mew Mew; 8:00pm sharp- DON'T BE LATE 

He decided that must have been where she was headed and stuffed the note back into its rightful place. He checked her watch, scrunching up the left sleeve of her jacket, and found it to be 8:16. He fixed her jacket and decided to take her back there so her team could take care of her.

Brushing some stray strands of her lavender hair away from her face, he tilted her chin for a better look. A longing gaze found its way into his grey eyes, and stayed there for a few minutes, before he went in for the kill. Moving forward, he tilted his head with slightly parted lips. He brushed them against her pink ones, the candy lip-gloss reducing friction. The kiss was short and chaste, but it meant the world to him.

He placed the leather cap onto its proper position on her head and frowned. It wasn't fair. She'd never love him; never give him a second glance. He was the enemy and, even if in some alternate universe she were to return his feelings, they could never be together. He gazed at her again, longer this time, before glancing at her watch once more. 8:32. Amazing how looking at the one you love can just whisk away all awareness of time and other constraints. Lifting her once more, he teleported away.

He reappeared in front of a huge, pink building. He went around the back in order to bid her farewell one last time. Lying her down, she began to call and yell.

"Pai…" Zakuro's voice was horse and worried, "PAI!" she'd begun to sweat. He allowed a slightly hurt expression to crawl onto his features. She was obviously dreaming about a battle, angrily shouting out his name as they fought. She was probably going to smile once his dream form died.

"No Pai, don't go…" she moaned as he leaned forward, brow furrowed in confusion. "Pai, you can't… I care too much about you…" she cried out, tears slowly spilling down her cheeks in light rivers. He couldn't help but smile, she did care about him. He picked her up, carried her back to the entrance, and placed her on the front stoop, kneeling down. He placed a small kiss on her forehead, before promptly knocking on the hard wooden door and teleporting out of sight.

"About time," Ryou spat angrily as all four girls stood up and rushed to open the door for their friend, "she's forty minutes late! What could have possibly-"

"Onee-san!" he was cut off by Minto's shrill cry, causing Keiichiro and he to rush over in alarm. The young blond was taken aback by what he saw.

There in the girls' arms lay his unconscious friend, whom he had been ranting about just moments before. Blood was seeping onto her clothes, a small pocketknife still embedded within her arm. Her right cheek had a thin, two-inch long slice reaching diagonally up towards her ear. It sat against a spot of purple skin where a somewhat large bruise had formed. His male companion ushered the girls inside and they were currently wrapping her as best they could.

"Zakuro must've been attacked and come here, but passed out before we answered the door." Retassu decided forlornly.

"No, someone carried her here." Minto shot down the girl's idea immediately.

"How can you tell, na no da?" Purin asked as she grasped the injured girl's good arm tightly.

"She was lying comfortably on her back when we found her, there's no way she could have fallen that way." Ichigo explained, "Besides, she suffered from a blow to the head."

"So?" Minto pestered as the blond child cocked her head.

"So, it's not possible for her to have been conscious." Keiichiro continued, wrapping the stab wound on her arm as he spoke, "And, even if she had been awake just long enough to collapse here, she never could have possessed enough strength to knock that hard."

"Oh." Retassu looked down in a mixture of embarrassment and worry.

"There," the brunette stood, picking up all his medical supplies "done. Now all we have to do is wait for her to wake up." As soon as the words left his mouth, the young model began thrashing and moaning. Purin released the pale woman's arm and jumped back, fearfully observing her odd behavior along with the others.

"No… No… No…" sweat poured from her as tears streamed from her eyes, which had been screwed shut in some form of pain.

"NO!" Zakuro shot up straight as a board, panting heavily. She brought a shaky hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes once more, waiting for her hyperventilating to subside.

"Oh god…" her voice came out muffled, having pulled her knees up to her chest and tucked her head between the two parts of her body. Her thin, frail looking arms were clasped around her legs tightly, holding them against her in a tight lock.

"O-… onee-san?" Minto called out shakily, terrified of her friend being hurt. The violet haired girl looked up and met her gaze.

"I-it was all a dream, right? No one died?" she asked hopefully, head throbbing from a mixture of adrenaline, injury, and nerves.

"No, no one died." Ichigo assured her calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Retassu inquired gently.

"I'm fine. I just ran into a group of thugs on my way over here and…" she faded off, unsure what else to say.

"And?" Ryou pushed rudely, leaning against the wall.

"And… and I don't remember. I passed out when one of them hit me with a… I think it was a lead pipe… I don't know." She sighed and shook her head, before turning to Keiichiro "so, uh, what about this meeting that we couldn't be late for?"

"Don't worry about it." He answered waving it off. Everyone wanted to know more about their wounded friend's dream, but sensed that it wasn't the right time to ask and that she was not ready to tell.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked confusedly.

"It's been a long night, we'll fill you in tomorrow. Now beat it, all of you. Not you," Ryou pointed to the amethyst-eyed girl who'd been leaving with the others, "you're staying here tonight. And don't argue, you're in no condition to travel. I have a spare room with an extra bed upstairs; you'll sleep there." His tone left no room for argument. She turned to her fellow female teammates.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." She spoke monotonously in farewell, before leaning down to her green haired friend when no one was watching, giving some of her rare advice, "Tell Ryou you like him. I have a feeling you'll be pleased with his response." Though she was being kind, her voice never faltered from its flat pitch. On that final note, she turned to follow Ryou, who'd sent a smile Retassu's way. The small gesture, mixed with her friend's advice, had caused the girl to blush.

Unbeknownst to the group, a pair of dark eyes had watched, and heard, everything. They teleported away, without anyone's knowledge of their observations.

**End Chapter**

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RS: This chapter was a bit longer, but I doubt it'll be my longest. Leave a review!


	3. Tuesday: Part I

RS: Here ya go, right on time.

_Aku-san:_ Thank you!

_MOKUBASgirl:_ Wow, thanks a lot! You rock too!

_Kisshu Kisshu:_ I know, there really aren't enough PxZ stories out there! It's my favorite couple as well. For more stories with them, check out my C2 community 'Lavender Love'. It doesn't have much yet, but it's getting there.

_Samantha-_ I'm updating each week, otherwise I won't have anytime to write. Thanx for the great review!

_Mew Lemon-_ That's great 'cause here ya go!

_Tiqua-_ Wow, thank you so much! PxZ is my fav pairing too. For more fics with them, check out my C2 community 'Lavender Love'. It hasn't got much so far, but I'm working on it. If you know anymore stories that would work, please let me know so I can ask the author to add it.

_MewCandi-_ I'm glad you like it so much; I worked very hard on it. I'm also glad that Ch. 2 didn't choke you with its repetitiveness…

_Samantha-_ Woah! I'm glad I didn't wait longer than a week to update this time! Don't have a stroke on me, that'd suck!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew.

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**5 Days to Fall in Love**

**Chapter 3**

Tuesday-

She moaned, burying her head deeper into the white linen and attempting to ignore the force moving her shoulder to and fro. She cracked an amethyst eye, only to come face to face with two brown orbs.

"Zakuro… Zakuro…" a kind voice called out to her with a small smile. Blinking a few time, the young model sat up in the bed.

"I'm up Keiichiro, thank you." He stopped his attempts. "Hn, What time is?" she rubbed her eyes, attempting to disperse the blurriness. A dull ache came from her arm while her cranium pounded like hammers. Her cheek felt sore as hell and she was pretty sure a large bump had formed where the lead pipe connected.

"It's 6:00 am. You've got an hour to get ready for school." He supplied, standing in order to reach the door more quickly.

"Ok- god, I've got to get home for my uniform." Keiichiro only smiled, pointing to the handle on the closet door. There sat her uniform, ready to go. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Ichigo, Minto, Retassu, and Purin stopped by your house to pick it up." He turned and approached the door.

"But how did they get in?" she inquired, sinking down slightly. After waking up, she was beginning to feel a tad self-conscious. Her hair was undoubtedly matted and she probably looked a mess.

"I'm sure you left a window open or something to that extent. Although, when they came, I got the feeling I really didn't want to know…" he faded off before shaking his head, seemingly in order to clear it "Oh well, I'll leave you to get dressed." The door shut behind him softly.

After throwing off the covers, she paused to rub her eyes once more and let out a rather large yawn. Zakuro Fujiwara was not a morning person… and also hadn't received much sleep the night before. It had become the same thing every night. Like a huge, terrifying boomerang, the dream always came back. Everything about it was always the same, too… she didn't want to think about it.

She set her feet on the cool carpeting, self-consciousness increasing tenfold. After all, there was only a tee shirt and a pair of oddly short shorts, from the loaner's younger years, covering her, complements of Ryou Shirogane. Ambling over to the clothing, she inspected the plastic bag beneath.

Unable to withhold a smile, the violet haired beauty silently thanked her friends for their consideration. They'd had the kindness, and courage, to bring her some undergarments for changing, as well her socks, shoes, hairbrush, and hair band. Along with all that came her school bag and some other womanly necessities, just in case. She made a mental note to thank them later… maybe. Well, how about instead she _wouldn't_ kill them for going through her stuff.

As Zakuro changed into her new clothing, after freshening up, her mind was left to wander. She tugged on her shirt roughly. There was still no clue what had happened to her. What had those men done? She didn't _feel_ any different. Nor did she look any different. No, they hadn't gotten do anything. Someone must have saved her, but whom? And, why did they leave her on the stoop of Mew Mew Café and run? Why would they have carried her across town to exactly where she needed to go? Hell, how did they even know to take her there?

Taking a seat on the bed, she shook her head. She was too stressed to focus on this; she'd do it later. Her mind wandered once more. And this time it chose to wander to the same place it usually wanders: to _him_. A small smile crept up to her face as she pulled up her sock slowly, almost in a reminiscing fashion, but she suddenly stopped, brows furrowed.

Why did she like him? Was it just some random crush with no rhyme or reason? Or was it a result of teen hormones going on a road rage? Maybe she actually had deep feelings for him? She decided to list what she liked about him.

He was good looking, no doubt about that. He was mature, that was inarguable. He was a bad boy, that's always sexy. He was unattainable; you always want what you can't have. He seemed like he was… just like her. And it hit her. That's why she wanted him. She wanted someone to connect with, someone who felt the way she did.

But then there was also this _other_ feeling. One she, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't identify for the life of her. What was it? God… she shook her head and quickly finished getting ready. She couldn't think about him right now, either. That resolution only reminded her of the fact that they could never be together. Rage boiled within her.

"Grr… GOD DAMN IT!" punched the wall; subconsciously being careful not to damage it, thought a rather loud bang echoed… and her hand smarted a bit. Desperate knocking erupted from the door.

"Zakuro? Zakuro! Are you okay? Can I come in?" the voice called worriedly from the other side.

"I'm fine, Keiichiro. You can come in." her monotone voice drawled out. The brunette entered, regarding her curiously.

"What was that loud bang?" he asked casually leaning against the wall, now that he was sure she was fine.

"Venting anger." She answered in her usual tone, not even bothering to motion towards the wall.

Picking up the plastic bag and shoving it into her backpack, she took her things and exited the room. Keiichiro followed in suit. Soon, she found herself in front of her friends.

Minto handed her a plait containing a simple pastry, flaky crust filled with chocolate. Zakuro had always had that odd type of metabolism, the kind that was so high she never gained weight. It came in handy when being a model.

"Are you feeling better, na no da?" Purin asked eagerly, tapping in to her endless supply of energy. God, how was she always so peppy? The pop star nibbled on her breakfast a bit before answering.

"Yes, thank you Purin." While the wolf girl was still quite cold and solitary, but she was starting to warm up to the team. Besides, who could be harsh when it came to Purin? Well, other than Taruto. But he really did like her. In fact, it was obvious he had a crush on her, so that didn't count. The amethyst-eyed girl finished relatively fast.

"Everyone ready to go?" Ichigo asked, getting up and grabbing her school bag.

"Yep, na no da!" Purin's school was on the way, so she'd walk with them. And so our heroes disembarked on their perilous journey… yeah.

"I hope those aliens don't try to pull anything today," Minto groaned to the others as they exited the shop, "I am _so_ not in the mood to fight."

"If they do, we should be extra careful." Retassu commented tactfully, "With Zakuro wounded, we're at a disadvantage."

"You mean she's weak, na no da?" the blond cocked her head.

"W-well, actually, I meant that without her full fighting ability, we lose a lot of our… I guess you could say 'punch'. Zakuro has always been one of the strongest fighters on our team and her injuries put a damper on our abilities." The quiet girl explained, saying more in that one short speech than she usually said in a day (give or take).

"Lettuce is right," Ichigo commented thoughtfully, "although, if Kish, Tart, and Pai know, we could be in trouble." As the words left her mouth, a sound echoed from overhead.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A _wounded_ mew mew? Say it isn't so!" the green-haired boy smirked.

"What do you want?" Minto demanded angrily.

"Just the usual… ah, a squirrel. That'll do." The girls watched in horror as the translucent blob approached the rodent.

"Oh no!" the timid girl's cries were useless, as it was too late. The Kirema Anima was now a force to be reckoned with, but the girls were ready. A unified cry rang out.

"Mew Mew Metamorphosis!" Taruto, who was still just a child, watched the girls change in slight aw, thinking they looked like angels, though he'd never say it aloud. Kish watched Ichigo like a hawk, as always, hoping to get a good glimpse of her. Ah Kish, always the lecher. Pai regarded Zakuro in the corner of his vision, admiring her beauty and grace. In the back of his mind, though, he admitted that a small part of him hoped to get a good view of something more than light.

That was when it hit him. Like a ton of bricks, the reality of things came crashing down. He and Kish now shared a similarity: they were both in love with a mew. Well, actually it was a team similarity, seeing as Taruto obviously had a thing for Purin, but he was still very young. The girls now stood before them in Mew forms, causing their male adversaries to shake themselves from their observing stupor.

"Are you boys ready to be defeated yet again?" Ichigo taunted from the front of the group. Her voice then dropped to a whisper, giving the group instructions "Minto, Retassu: you guys battle the Kirema Anima. Purin will take on Taruto, I'll fight Kish, and Zakuro can take Pai."

Zakuro flushed at the last part of the sentence. Although it was so light no one could see it, it was still there. God, she was spending way too much time around those girls… and apparently fighting Kish too much. 'Take Pai'… Bad thoughts, bad! The young model forced herself to return to the real world.

"Is Zakuro strong enough to take Pai?" Retassu worried, as her purple-haired friend chastised herself for the returning thoughts. "In her current condition, he could completely dominate her." Oh dear god…

"So? Just because onee-san's a little hurt, doesn't mean she can't show that bastard a good time." Minto defended. The pop star knew she meant for her to kick his ass, but after fighting Kish so long… let's just say things aren't always interpreted the way they're meant to be.

"Well…" Ichigo looked undecided, before opening her mouth to answer. However, Zakuro decided to save herself by interrupting.

"I'm fine, now let's get going. We've just been standing here." So, the group scattered and Zakuro was able to silence the inappropriate thoughts.

Kish put up a good fight… kind of; actually, he sort of just sidestepped all of Ichigo's attacks. He couldn't _really_ hurt her. Minto and Retassu struggled a tad with the Kimera Anima, but were still coming out on top. Taruto was busy trying to escape Purin's death grip- er, Purin's friendly hug.

"Tar-Tar-kun!" was the only human sound, besides grunts, that could be made out by the other team members. The only pair that wasn't fighting like normal was Zakuro and Pai.

Zakuro kept sending out attacks the same way as usual, albeit slightly weaker and with more resting time. However, Pai just dodged them, sending half-hearted blows her way. Suddenly, in a rather intricate move, a fan had knocked the cross whip out of it's owners hand. The weapon came back to it's own, male handler.

"You should be more careful," he called from above, before teleporting down and wrapping his strong, muscular arms around her from behind. His breath sent shivers down her spine as he whispered into her ear "I won't always be there to save you."

Zakuro's eyes widened in shock as his words hit her. "Y-… you saved me? But how… why?" she stiffened as he uncharacteristically nuzzled her neck with his face, taking a deep breath of her scent.

"Onee-san!"

"Zakuro!" The two girls had finished off the Kirema Anima, Masha having eaten it as well, and were currently running to their comrade's aid. They undoubtedly thought she was about to be killed, or something of that impact. God, if they knew what was really going on…

"Meet me at the park at 7:30, just after your shift ends, come _alone_. We can speak there." With that closing remark, linked with a tiny kiss to her neck, he teleported back into the air and called his teammates to retreat.

"See you then!" she could only stare as his words lingered in the cool morning air. Together, the aliens disappeared back to their ship.

"Are you alright?" Retassu asked breathlessly once they reached her. The other girls joined their little meeting. Their friend appeared dazed for a moment, before shaking her head to clear it. Turning, she answered with a curt nod.

"What was that all about?" It was Minto's turn to question. The half bird was referring to the way she was being held by the enemy, as well as the closing statement.

"Yeah, he was all over you." Ichigo pushed. Zakuro's throat tightened as she searched her brain for an excuse.

"AH, na no da! Purin will be late for school!" the youngest member had gone back to normal and started spazzing. The older teammates followed in suit, the incident with Pai completely forgotten.

In a mad dash, the girls had managed to drop Purin off and rush to school just in the nick of time. As the four collapsed into their seats, albeit in four separate classrooms, the bell chimed. The girls had survived, walking away without even a single day of detention.

All day, Zakuro couldn't wait until 7:30. Her classes flew by in a daze, until school finally let out a 2:25. Her bandages were changed earlier that day. She had to be at the Café by 3:00, which always gave her just enough time to run home and grab a tote bag filled with her work uniform and a few other things, before setting off to her afternoon destination. She changed when she reached work, putting her school uniform into the bag until the 7:10 end shift, when she changed back into it. The girls stayed ten minutes after closing to clean up.

Today, however, she took the time to neatly pack a third set of clothing, something suitable for her meeting at the park. She had to look good, but not like she'd dressed up especially for him. At the same time she wanted to seem casual, but not careless. God, she was turning into a total prep.

She grabbed the (finally) chosen outfit and checked her watch. 2:54! How did it get so damn late! Grabbing her bag, she rushed out the door, sprinting down the street. Ryou was going to _kill_ her! Fifteen minutes later, she burst through the kitchen door to the café, not even in uniform yet.

"Where have you been?" her blond boss demanded angrily, "And why aren't you changed yet?" he looked her up and down incredulously.

"I got side tracked." She kept her tone flat; no use in letting him know she'd just had one of her freakishly rare panic attacks. It wasn't entirely that she was afraid of Ryou, rather than she was afraid of working overtime to make up for her late entry. Overtime meant not meeting Pai at the park.

"_Side tracked_? If-"

"Aw, cut her some slack, Ryou. She's hurt." Keiichiro interrupted as Minto entered the room, holding an empty teacup.

"Yes, I mean, just look at her. Poor onee-san obviously ran here trying to be on time!" the raven-haired girl rushed to her idol's defense.

"But-" the blond stopped abruptly in order to let someone else speak.

"Please, just let Zakuro off this time. She's never done this before." Retassu whispered, a faint blush painting her cheeks.

"… Fine, go get changed." The boy stalked off in a huff, undoubtedly going down to the basement to be with his precious lab equipment. Zakuro rushed to the bathroom and changed.

Dumping her bag in the usual spot, she left to find Retassu. Apparently, she'd come at just the right time, catching the poor girl and her plaits just before they hit the ground. Cheeks tinted red, the girl muttered a sheepish thanks.

"Today, after work, you're going to tell him." The young model instructed as though nothing had happened.

"N-nani!" the green haired waitress squeaked, placing her plates on the counter next to the sink.

"After work you're going to tell Ryou you like him. It's perfect, since Ichigo, Minto, and Purin are all leaving early for a date with Masaya, a dance recital, and some rare time with her siblings. Keiichiro is going to be out of the way since Purin needs a ride." Though the violet girl acted nonchalant, she knew it was a big deal. However, she also knew Ryou would return the girl's feelings.

Although the half wolf didn't usually give advice or act too kind, she felt that Retassu deserved it. Not only had she been secretly chasing after this boy, practically since she got here, but she was always being so clumsy as a result of her low self-esteem. Zakuro hoped this would sufficiently raise her confidence. Besides, she'd always been there for the rest of the team. Even today, she'd gotten her friend out of trouble.

"B-but, what if… what if he rejects me?" the slightly younger girl looked down, eyes shining.

"He won't reject you. In fact, I think you'll be quite pleased by his answer. Trust me, just tell him." On that final note, the slightly older girl sauntered away.

The day dragged on for all of the girls, seeing as they each had something to look forward to. It was currently only twenty minutes until closing and the girls were fighting over which one of them had to serve some creepy guy sitting in the ever so slightly darker portion of the café.

"I am _not_ serving him, I serve almost every other costumer here, why don't you guys try doing some work for once!" Ichigo argued stubbornly as she ran from table to table like a chicken without a head, feigning happy politeness the whole time.

"Purin is scared of the scary looking man, na no da!" the blond squeaked, situating herself behind Retassu and Zakuro.

"You don't have to serve him, Purin." The shy girl assured her younger counterpart kindly and sighed, "I guess I'll have to do it."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Amethyst eyes narrowing, the eldest waitress gently yet firmly put her arm out and grasped her friend. "If you spill or drop something on him it looks like he wouldn't take too kindly to it."

"Onee-san-" as the words left her mouth, Minto called away by a couple of their best costumers. Rather than lose good business, the raven-haired mew calmly went over to hear what they needed. (An: I know Ichigo's usually the only one who really works, but these were really good customers and the girls are a bit OOC in this fic, so…)

"Hello, welcome to Café Mew Mew. I'm Zakuro and I'll be your waitress today. The specials for the day are blueberry cake and…" the girl paused her monotone speech to glance at the specials bored, fists balled up in anger. This man had been staring at either her legs or her chest the _entire_ time. Restraining her rage, she looked to the chalkboard.

She froze as her eyes focused on the fine print so elegantly scrawled across the black abyss. Of all the pastries Keiichiro could have been making, it had to be that one. Why? Why why why why why? WHY! A faint crimson tinged her cheeks as she attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. It didn't work.

"T-the s-specials…" she cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "The specials for the day are Blueberry Cake and Pomegranate Pie. Are you ready to order or do you need a little more time?" He eyed her up and down one last time before ordering with a cheeky grin.

"Ah'll have da Pomegranate Pauh n' Watermelon Tea." Nodding she jotted down his order and walked away, only to feel his eyes boring wholes into her back- er, butt. She didn't like him at all, not only because he was a lecher but also because he seemed awfully familiar… she shook it off and took the order to the kitchen.

"Order up, Keiichiro!" She called, attaching the slip to the metal wheel and spinning it, "One slice of Pomegranate Pie and a cup of Watermelon Tea."

"K! Order out, Zakuro!" the man responded kindly, sliding the speaker a tray full of plaited of food. "Two slices of Pomegranate pie, a slice of Cheesecake, a slice of Blueberry Cake, a cup of Lemon Zinger Tea, two cups of Green Tea, and a cup of Natto Tea for table eight."

Taking the black tray, she made her way over to the table and served the four girls. Pomegranate Pie with Lemon Zinger, Pomegranate Pie with Green Tea, Cheescake with Green Tea, and Blueberry Cake with Natto Tea. Once finished, she returned to the kitchen.

"Oh good, you're back." Keiichiro greeted, placing a dish and cup on a tray. "That order you brought me is ready to bring back to table twelve." He thrust the server into her hands.

"Great." She drawled sarcastically while accepting the food. Her male counterpart's brow furrowed in concern.

"What's wrong?" sighing, she explained.

"Just look at the guy sitting at table twelve." He complied.

"Youch. But, honestly, you're judging a costumer because he looks creepy?"

"It's not just that…"

"Then what else is there?"

"Are you guys talking about the creepy guy at table twelve?" Ichigo interrupted to enter the conversation.

"Yes." Keiichiro nodded affirmatively.

"Ugh, what a _creep_! Did you notice the way he had his eyes all over you, Zakuro?" the red head grimaced in distaste.

"Wow, that bad huh?" the male looked slightly taken aback. The girls only nodded solemnly.

"Well then, I'll just have to take this one out myself…" he continued, looking at the costumer. "If I don't go blind first." The redhead giggled at his light-hearted joke and the other girl cracked a small smile.

"His hair _is_ rather bright… kind of a neon bleach-blond." Ichigo agreed as Keiichiro accepted the tray from Zakuro.

"Yes, it is. I'll be back." Turning, he exited the kitchen, girls watching from where they stood and using their slightly enhanced hearing to listen in on the men's conversation.

"Your food, sir." Keiichiro greeted politely, placing the plait and cup in front of the seedy looking male. "Will that be all?"

"Wuht happened to da guhl dat was servin' me?" the blond asked rudely, eyes searching the café.

"Something came up so she will no longer be serving you today. Will that be all?" their friend feigned politeness well.

"Yeauh, yeauh." The guy waved him off unhappily and the bill was placed on the table.

"Have a good day, sir." Keiichiro turned and left, reentering the kitchen. Once safely inside, he blanched.

"See, we told you he was a creep." Ichigo moaned.

"I see what you mean, but luckily he'll be leaving shortly. Zakuro, you should just stay in here until he's gone." The brunette advised.

"That shouldn't be too long." All eyes moved to the blond, who downed his tea and scarffed down about half of his pie. Taking the bill, he walked up to the counter and rung the bell.

"I'll be right back, girls." Keiichiro slipped behind the counter and accepted the man's payment. The spiky haired blond then left the building. At that point, the brunette returned to the kitchen.

"Yes!" Ichigo did a little happy dance, "He's gone!" Zakuro nearly smiled to herself, happy her friend cared enough about her well being to celebrate when the unnerving costumer left. However, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she'd met him somewhere before.

"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen," a masculine voice rang out through the loud speaker, "we close in five minutes. Please finish and pay your bill quickly. Thank you, and have a nice day." Zakuro went with Keiichiro to the counter and they worked the cash register while the four other girls cleaned tables and handed out bills.

"Done!" Ichigo collapsed into the one chair remaining on the floor; the others had been turned over and placed on the tables. She breathed a tired sigh of relief and put her head back, "Now I have time to go home, relax, and-" her eyes shot open as she jumped up, "Meet Masaya!" practically tripping over chairs, she rushed to join the other girls and get changed.

After the girls were finished, Ryou and Keiichiro quickly explained why they were going to meet the other night. Apparently, some Mew Aqua needed to be taken care of but they weren't aware of the exact location. The girls would go scouting tomorrow, once it was pinpointed.

"Bye guys, see you tomorrow!" Ichigo called out as she, Minto, Keiichiro, and Purin exited the café. The girls called out their own goodbyes.

"Farewell!"

"Bye bye, na no da!" On that final note, the doors closed.

"WellIguessIshouldgo,bye!" Zakuro grabbed the back of Retassu's collar before she could zip out the door.

"Not so fast… RYOU!"

"What?" a masculine voice rang out from the backroom, causing her counterpart to blush.

"Come out here, Retassu needs to have a word with you."

"Alright, just give me two minutes." The purple mew turned back to her friend.

"See, this isn't so bad."

"Meanwhile, why are you all dressed up?" she looked her friend up and down. She wore a black tube top with a yellow X across it, which was a little covered up by a slightly puffy, pink jacket. A pair of blackish hip huggers with a brown belt covered her bottom half and black boots finished the look.

"I'm going somewhere later." She glanced at her watch. It was 7:15 and the park was ten minutes away, but she'd wait until Ryou came out before she left.

"Where? Are you meeting someone?" Retassu inquired with clasped hands, uncharacteristically eager.

"… Maybe." The emerald-haired girl grinned.

"Well, have fun!" The half-wolf smiled slightly. If only she knew…

"So, what did you need to speak with me about?" the girls' heads swung around to see their friend.

"I'll leave you two to talk. Goodbye Ryou, Retassu."

"G-goodbye, s-see you t-tomorrow."

"Uh, later Zakuro." He was seriously confused by the girls' strange actions. However, he merely brushed it off as being 'that time of the month'.

Standing at the gate of café, she checked her watch. It was 7:18 as she made her way to the park, bag swung up on one shoulder. On her way, she thought about what Pai had to say.

What if this was a trap? What if he was going to capture, attack, or kill her? Why did he save her? Why did he want to meet her? Why did _he_ have to be the one she got a crush on? Why was he so god damn hot? Why- wait a minute there, she was getting off topic.

A few minutes later, she reached the park. It was closed, so she had to climb up the gate to get in. Casually leaning against the stone mortar wall, as if expecting someone, she waited for the police car to pass by her. Once it turned the corner and faded out of vision, she whipped around and nimbly scaled the wrought iron fence.

Flipping over the edge she landed with a thump, knees bent into a crouching position. Calmly, as if she'd done that exact move every day of her life, she lifted into a standing position and brushed some imaginary dirt off of her clothes.

At that point, she realized that he hadn't told her _where_ to meet him. Checking her watch, she saw it was 7:29. So, she walked two minutes from the entrance and through the park. Then, she sat down on a bench and waited.

A rather large yawn escaped her lips, the day's events catching up with her. Taking a deep breath, Zakuro shut her eyes and unintentionally lulled into sleep.

**End Chapter

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**

RS: Breaking up one-shots into multiple chapters is a pain in the ass… Leave a review!


	4. Tuesday: Part II

RS:**IMPORTANT:** I'm running out of chapters to post and the end of this year's so hectic that I don't have time to write, so updates will be scarce for a while. Sorry! And now, the moment we've all been waiting for: … –drum role- CAVITY ENDUCING FLUFF! With my first make-out scene ever!

_Kissu Kisshu:_ Thanks, here's where you can find out what happens next.

_Amme Moto-_ Yes! Finally someone whom I _know_ reads authors notes! –hugs AM- this update is dedicated to you!

_Mew Lizzy-_ Chill out, they'll meet!

_Black Mistress-_ To be perfectly honest, Pai only showed up last week… there really isn't much of a connection. ' And don't worry, he won't rape her. There will, however be a nice little romance surprise rather early on this chapter.

_Mew Choco-_ Thanks a million! I've been looking for a good story to add! I haven't gotten any limes or lemons… but how 'bout some making out? Will that please you?

_Mew Candi-_ Yes, Pai is a bit OOC… but I guess love can change people.

_Mew Melon-_ Ok, thanks!

_alienvampire-_ Thanks, they're my fav TMM pairing.

_tensui:_ sorry sweetie, but this is an IchigoxMasaya story. But, stay tuned and maybe I'll add some dialogue from Kish about Ichigo.

_Samantha:_ Ok, I'll write 'son'. ;)

_Mew Lemon:_ Thank you!

_Sam-the-Clam:_ Yayness! PxZ is my fav, so I'm glad you like.

_Kikyouhater118:_ Thank you! I'm sorry I haven't been updating my other fics very quickly, but I've got many time constraints. I'll try to work on them as soon as I get some ideas… and a chance to sit down and do so.

_breadrollminion:_ Thanx, I'm glad you like it.

_ZakuroXPai:_ Whoa! Calm down! You'll just have to read to find out what happens. And don't worry; their feelings for each other will grow… if my planning goes correctly. '

_Any Mew Moonlight-_ Thanx, I'm glad you like!

_ZakuroFan:_ Sorry this took longer than planned, but I'm glad you like it so much!

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**5 Days to Fall in Love**

**Chapter 4**

Tuesday-

"Where are you going?" Taruto asked his teammate rudely, drawing the attention of the third alien.

"Out." The answer was short and curt, revealing very little.

"Well we know _that_! Out _where_?" the child called angrily.

"That is none of your concern."

"But I wanna know!"

"Mind your business, Taruto." Before either of them could add anything more, the observing party interrupted, taking the inquirer's side.

"It _is_ our business, especially after that little show you put on this morning." He moved over next to his comrades, floating in the air.

"What are you talking about, Kish?" amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously, daring him to bring up the past events.

"Taruto, me n' Pai need to have a private conversation. Leave."

"Aww, but-"

"Get out, Tart." Pai hissed, eyes thinning into tinier and tinier slits. Begrudgingly, the young boy exited the room. "Now," the purple alien continued, "what do you mean?"

"You now perfectly well what I mean." Kish snapped, "You hardly fought that girl. It was Mew Zakuro, right?"

"… Yes." He answered warily.

"Well, you hardly hurt her and just sidestepped all of her attacks. Then if that wasn't enough, you decided to put some moves on her."

"I was _attacking_ her." The elder alien lied through his teeth. Kish laughed.

"Oh yeah, whenever I'm killing someone, my strongest attack is to get behind them, then kiss their neck. It works every time." Finished with his sarcastic speech, he rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't doubt it with the way you treat that other Mew, Ichigo was it?" Pai spat back angrily. He refused to be bettered by his younger, perverted teammate. Kish glared back.

"At least I don't fondle her in the middle of battle!"

"I beg to differ." Kish growled slightly at the comment, but quickly fought to regain his cool and attempted to continue the conversation in a more civil manner.

"Look, the point is that I _know_ you're going off to meet Mew Zakuro."

"I never said that."

"But that is where you're going, while you always yell at me over Mew Ichigo. Since when is it okay for you to have a Mew on the side?"

"My relations are none of your concern. Further more, like you said before, our roles have been switched. You are reprimanding me for taking part in activities you yourself do on a regular basis."

"Do as I say, not as I do. Besides, I actually fight Mew Ichigo. You've seen me attempt to kill her on more than one occasion."

"So what you're saying is it's alright for me to try and sleep with the enemy, as long as I try to murder her as well?" The statement caused the green haired alien to finally loose his composure.

"Grr… look, here's the deal: you're supposed to defeat her, not screw the little slut!" Kish knew he'd made a mistake saying that the minute the words left his mouth, but he had no chance to fix things. A fist connected with his nose. The violet-haired alien had lost his cool as well.

"Pai-" he only glared and teleported away without staying to listen or answering his injured friend.

He reappeared in the park five minutes late and faintly aware of the fact that the entire facility was deserted. Realizing he had no idea where to meet her, he began searching for his crush from the entrance into the park. Logically, if she'd been there since 7:30, she couldn't have gotten very far. He soon found out he was right.

Mere minutes later, he came across her sleeping form on a bench. Didn't she realize that it was dangerous? Wasn't last night enough? Why did she call out his name in that dream? What if this was a trap? What if she didn't come alone? Why did _she_ have to be the one he got a crush on? Why was she so god damn hot? Why- wait a minute there, he was getting off topic.

Shaking himself of his thoughts, he threw caution to the wind and went over to wake her up. First, though, he admired her. She looked like an angel sleeping like that, and he had the urge to kiss her once more. However he refrained from doing so, knowing that she might wake up.

"Zakuro… Zakuro…" he called her name, gently shaking her awake. Her brow furrowed as she returned to consciousness.

"Hn, wha?" Her eyelids fluttered open. "Pai?" snapping back to reality, she jumped slightly. Coincidentally, his head happened to be directly above her own. So, she circumstantially ended up knocking into him.

They collided with two grunts, one masculine one feminine, before tumbling to the ground. The girl's back hit the ground with the boy above her, landing with a thump. They each grunted once more, before opening their eyes. One-inch above/bellow them, were a pair of the most alluring, sensual lips that they'd ever seen.

(An: Warning, make-out scene coming… now.)

He couldn't resist the temptation, couldn't pass up the opportunity. He had to do it. Shutting down all logical thought, he allowed his testosterone to control his next actions. Leaning down, he placed the most passionate kiss he could muster upon her mouth.

The girl's eyes widened, before drifting closed once more. His actions had surprised the hell out of her, but she complied nonetheless. Subconsciously, her arms wound themselves around his neck and shoulders, bringing his strong frame closer against her own, smaller one.

The kiss was searing and passionate, fueled by raw, bottled-up feelings. No longer caring about anything other than their attraction to one another, they forgot their troubles. Their lips pushed against one another's with bruising force.

Opening his mouth, he brushed his tongue against and chewed her lower lip. It didn't take long for her to realize his message, and she quickly conformed to his wishes. As she began to open beneath his lips, he got tired of waiting. After her mouth opened less than half a centimeter, his tongue forced its way into her mouth and explore. Her breath came out in heavy pants as she sucked on it.

Zakuro began to run her hands up and down his back, nails digging into the fabric of his shirt. The action encouraged him, causing him to put more force into the kiss. His arms went from her waist to her butt, giving it a tight squeeze before moving up to her head. Grabbing fistfuls of hair, he pulled back gently.

She didn't resist, just let go of Pai's lips, arching her neck. He kissed down her throat, nipping hungrily at the flesh. His teeth left small love bites, miniscule amounts of blood slowly leaving each. She found herself whimpering in pleasure, sufficiently pleasing him. Everything was happening so fast, he was getting so turned on… Every time a moan was emitted from her throat, it rumbled against his mouth and made his feelings worse, practically forcing him crush against her.

He moved to where her collarbone met her shoulder and clamped down, sucking with harsh force. She nearly screamed at the pressure. His lips moved back to hers, hands wandered once more, on their own accord, finding their way down the back of her jacket, finally resting on her backside, within her skirt. However, one of his fingers had unintentionally found itself rubbing against the skin within her more private garments. This brought her back to reality.

(An: Wow… I _CANNOT_ believe I just wrote that. It's like I started typing and the words just flowed out without registering in my mind first. I feel all… _weird_ now. Although, it's not bad for someone who's never been kissed. I'm kinda proud in some deranged way.)

She practically threw him off of her, scrambling backward. Her lips were a tad swollen from being used and slightly colored from bruising. A rather large spot of a much darker shade sat on the side of her neck, the beginnings of a hickey. The love bites had stopped bleeding, but were still visible. She'd look essentially the same in the morning.

He was sure his lips mirrored her own; however he didn't have anything on his neck. Both of them had messy hair, their clothes mussed up. Their breath came out in laborious heaves, the pair each felt uncomfortably warm.

"P-Pai…" she started out scared, like a shy little girl. However, her voice quickly hardened into its usual monotone. "What do you think you're doing?" She nearly went to remove her jacket, but decided against it. Who knew what'd happen if he got a better view of her scant, tight, form-fitting top.

"Zakuro…" he reached out for her, but she moved back warily. He was still the enemy and she still couldn't afford to let her guard down.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked once more, a more forceful tone laced her voice this time. He decided to play things her way and attempt to be the one in control of the situation.

"I could ask you the same question." He countered.

"Why did you kiss me?" the question was obviously demanding to be answered, but he wouldn't comply. En guard.

"Why did you kiss me back?" touché.

"Do you normally go around sticking your hands inside random girls' skirts?"

"Do you normally suck on random boys' tongues? And for the record, you were practically begging me to touch you." He smirked.

"Why did you save me?" he was stunned by her sudden, off-topic inquisition.

"Why do you ask? Did you want those men to rape you?"

"Could you _please_ stop countering my questions with your own?"

"Why, does it bother you?" she glared. Quirking a brow, Pai watched the lavender haired girl fan herself. "If you feel so warm, why don't you take of you're jacket?" Zakuro responded without missing a beat.

"After that little show you put on? I don't think so."

"Oh, I see, so you're saying I'd enjoy your shirt… and you're too turned on to risk removing clothing." She nearly blushed, but kept it down.

"No, I'm just afraid you'll reenact your little impersonation of a rabbit in heat."

"And you're also afraid you'll go with it."

"No, I'm not."

"Then prove it." Sticking her chin up defiantly, she did so.

His lips parted slightly, eyes wide when she was done. The shirt fit like a second skin, curves he had only been remotely aware of in the past were now permanently imprinted within his memory. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to take her right then and there. Only when some form of pink cloth obstructed his view did he move his gaze upward. Zakuro stood frowning, pink jacket clutched to her chest.

"I have just officially proven myself correct." She snapped.

"And that _I_ was correct as well." He smirked, knowing he had bettered her.

"Oh really? How so?"

"Well, who do you think you got you so hot that you were forced to remove your jacket?" She appeared slightly taken aback.

"It's an unusually warm Spring, nearly Summer. Of course I'd be getting warm."

"But you weren't until I touched you." She sent him a venomous glare.

"Can we stop talking about your inability to withhold from sexually harassing women and get back to the topic at hand? Why did you help me?"

"I wasn't aware that it was considered sexual harassment when the woman kisses back."

"Grr… look, I want a straight answer this time. Why did you help me?" Sighing, the alien raised his head in order to gaze at the stars.

"Have you ever thought about how vast the universe is?" she frowned at his question.

"Pai…" his name was said as a warning, however he still didn't respond. After a moment she gave up and looked skyward with him. They stood like that for minutes, maybe hours (she couldn't tell) before another word was spoken.

"… You're beautiful." She whipped around to face him, shock evident on her face.

"W-what?"

"You. Are. Beautiful." His body didn't move, however his vision regarded her from the corners of his eyes, stormy orbs focused on her womanly figure.

"… Thank you."

"Zakuro…" Turning he took her face in his hands. She didn't resist, only let her hands fall to her sides and allowed the pink jacket to hit the dirt around her feet. After he planted a brief, chaste kiss on her lips, nowhere near as lustful as their earlier ones yet somehow more passionate, they gazed into one another's eyes.

His were a dark, stormy gray. Hardened and rough from watching years of suffering and destruction, no doubt on his planet, they seemed so cold. His normal stone façade, however, had mostly slipped away for the time being. Instead, he allowed her to gaze deep within his soul and read his expressions. There was anger, sadness, hurt, all those negative emotions, but there was happiness, kindness, and intelligence as well. There was also another class of feelings, a group that sent chills down her spine. There, in his eyes, lay lust, want, along with, above all and scariest, love.

Her eyes, though a deep shade of lavender, nearly mirrored his. They were also closed doors to her soul, which she'd allowed him to just barely crack open. There was pain and sadness, like his, only less of it. They appeared like scabs on old wounds, beginning to heal and cover over with happiness. Like him, she held intelligence, kindness, lust, want, anger, but then there was something else. It was a mixture of two feelings, the cause of her turmoil: love… and fear.

She liked him back, he knew that the second he glanced into her eyes. But she was terrified of him as well. She was scared of being used, scared of being left behind or forgotten, scared of being hurt, scared of not being wanted. She didn't want to give herself to him, because she was terrified of the prospect of him leaving. Finally, he spoke.

"You seem a bit tired." Pai regarded her and, for the first time that night, saw that her weariness was not only a result of his proximity.

"Yeah, well," Zakuro sighed, "last night and today wore me out."

"Didn't you require rest from your injuries?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to take an entire day off for just a few little scratches." She waved him off. Without warning, he grasped her injured arm tightly.

"Ah!" she crumpled to the ground in pain, his grip loosening as he crouched down along with her. After catching her breath and blinking away the white spots plaguing her vision, she sent her male companion the most venomous glare she could muster.

"'Just a few little scratches', huh?" she glared yet again. Sighing with a roll of his eyes, he shifted from his crouch into a seated position beside her. She moved from her knees to sit near him as well. They both fell onto their backs and stared up at the vast night sky, breathing in the crisp air.

"So…" Zakuro let the word hang, desperately trying to come up with an acceptable conversation topic. "What do you… do in your spare time?"

She was mentally kicking herself. 'What do you do in your spare time?' what kind of a dumb-ass question was that? God, why was she messing up so much? It wasn't like her; she'd been out with plenty of guys before… But no, this was different somehow.

He smirked, "That's the best speech topic you were able to think of?"

"Hey," she snapped back, "what am I supposed to say when socializing with the enemy?"

"You make a valid point… I perfect my combat skills and tactics."

"Sometimes I do too. What else?"

"There really isn't anything else to do… unless I'm working on finding ways to defeat you and the rest of your team."

"That's a just a tad pathetic."

"Well, if I'm pathetic then what do you do?"

"Work."

"Oh yes," he rolled his eyes, "you partake in a much broader social life than I do."

"You don't even know what I do."

"Of course I'm aware of your current employment, you work at a café with the other members of your team."

"Part of the time, yes. But that's only because of Team Mew Mew. I do plenty more."

"Such as?"

"Acting, singing, modeling, that kind of thing." He sat up and looked at her.

"Acting, singing, _modeling_?" he quirked one skeptical eyebrow as she faced him.

"Next time you come down to Earth, pause to look at some of the magazine covers and billboards. There are plenty around." She sounded distasteful.

"Really? And you'll be on them?"

She shrugged, "Most likely."

"So," he fell back into the same position and she turned away, "you're almost a celebrity?" she laughed a bit.

"Almost? I'm the most well known super model in the world." He snorted a bit, not believing her. They both lied back in the grass once more.

"Of course you are. What about your grand singing and acting careers?"

"Have you ever heard of the Oscars or the Grammies?"

"Only a bit. I've heard them mentioned but I don't know what they are."

"Well, they're these huge award shows that air all over the world. All the greatest people working in the TV and film industry win an Oscar and all the greatest musicians each win a Grammy."

"So?"

"So, I've won both." His eyes widened slightly and he turned his head towards her.

"Let's assume for a moment that you aren't simply concocting this highly farfetched tale. Why aren't there fans chasing you everywhere?"

"When I play my celebrity role, I pretend to be sweet, caring… a totally different person. No one makes the connection between the kind, understanding Zakuro Fujiwara and rude, grumpy me. They all think I'm someone else."

"But they're starting to figure you out. Those gangsters recognized you, and they were near-fully intoxicated."

"True…" she mused thoughtfully. The pair talked for hours on end, before settling into a comfortable silence as a result of their sore throats. It was a while before either one said anything.

"It's getting late." He commented.

"Hardly, it's only… 11:45. I stand corrected." He chuckled a tad.

"Come with me, I'll take you home."

"Alright…" she'd discarded all previous distrust. Since they'd begun talking her crush on him had only increased to be one hundred times its previous intensity. Bending down, she gathered her fallen, nearly forgotten jacket from the ground.

"Hold on to me." She did as instructed and the two teleported away. They reappeared in front of the café. "I don't know where you live." Pai explained. She nodded in understanding.

"It's fine, I can walk from here."

"I'll walk with you, otherwise I won't be there to save you again."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" he smirked, shaking his head. She only sighed in defeat as they sauntered off, a comfortable silence settled between the two. Their journey took eighteen minutes, lengthened from the usual fifteen because they were taking their time.

"So how much farther away is your home?"

"We're here." Looking up, his jaw nearly dropped. She lived in a gorgeous Victorian mansion that screamed money.

"You must come from a very wealthy family."

"Actually no, I earned all of this on my own. From those careers you poked fun at. Walk me to the door?" He was shocked by her request, but nodded in compliance anyway. She pressed the intercom button and a security camera popped up.

"Who's there?" a gruff man sounded.

"That's Hiroto Honda, head of security." She explained, before speaking into the intercom, "It's me Hiroto." (An: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)

"Miss Fujiwara? Forgive me and come right in. Is that man with you?"

"Yes Hiroto, thank you." The gate unlocked and the two descended the long pathway toward her luxurious estate. As soon as they reached the door she unlocked it, leaving it open a crack. She spun around to face him, but, before she could say anything, he spoke.

"Can you meet me in the same place again tomorrow? Same time?"

"No, but I can come a bit later."

"Then is 10:00 alright?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Very well, I'll see you then."

"Hn… I had a great time tonight, thanks. See you tomorrow." She swiftly planted a kiss on his cheek before stepping inside and shutting the door. He teleported away, just barely concealing his grin, and reappeared on the ship.

He looked around; everything was dark. An empty alien first-aid kit sat on the table, some of its contents strewn across. He calmly cleaned it up a bit, and went to Taruto's room. Quietly glancing inside, he confirmed that the young alien was indeed asleep. He did the same with Kish, and got the same response.

He had forgotten about his little 'temper tantrum' during his- could he call it a date? He supposed so, seeing as how he walked her to the door and they'd kissed once. Ok, maybe twice. Fine, they'd kissed a few times. Anyway, now he was beginning to feel quite guilty.

Yes, Kish had pissed him off. But, he had no right to punch his teammate like that. Besides, Kish had been angry too, and with good reason. The argument just got too deep when they started using personal ammo. He just couldn't control himself after he called Zakuro a slut.

With his mind made up to apologize and make amends in the morning, he went to sleep.

**Meanwhile**

Zakuro walked to the living room in a daze, a content smile playing on her lips. Nearly giggling, she fell back on the couch and sighed.

"Did you have a nice night, Miss Fujiwara?" she turned to see a tan, brown haired man with brown eyes.

"Yes, thank you Hiroto." She'd always gotten along well with him.

"I've finished setting everything usual up for the night, is there anything else you need me for?"

"No you may go home, Hiroto. I'm sorry for keeping you so late." He smiled.

"It's fine Miss Fujiwara, it's my pleasure. Have a nice night."

"Thanks, you too." He left the mansion and once he was out of range, she finished enabling her security system. Turning, she ascended the stairs to her room. One quick shower later, she was almost ready for bed.

"Now," she sighed, "what to do about my neck…" she pulled down the collar of her shirt to see the entire bruise. "Ugh, nothing will cover that! What am I going to do?" Sighing in defeat, she decided to just put on some cover-up in the morning and hope for the best.

Climbing into bed, she smiled as Pai came to mind. God, she thought she like him _before_… she shook her head and closed her eyes. It was getting late and she had school tomorrow…

**End Chapter

* * *

**

RS: So sickeningly fluffy… oh well! R&R!


	5. Wednesday: Part I

RS: Here's the last chapter I have prewritten. I'm sorry to say that I have yet to write the rest.

_EarthyGreen:_ Thanx, I'm glad you like it so much!

_Mew Lizzy:_ OKAY! (Don't have a seizure on me, jeez.)

_Starfire and Sakura:_ Wow, that was… just, wow! I feel bad about how long I had to wait before posting, but at least she'll be okay now… right?

_aku-san:_ I'm not sure how I did either! ' I just hope you're dumbstruck in a good way.

_Unchainedvixenbabe:_ Wow, I'm so honored! I'm really glad you like this fic so much; I worked really hard on it. To be perfectly honest, I've never read the manga. This is a product of the 4Kids dubbed anime. '

_Tiqua:_ I'm SO sorry, but my updates have been cut down to once every 2 weeks-1 a month. SORRY! –Blush- no, I haven't been kissed. I don't date all that much and I choose wait rather than just give lip to some I'm guy not or only remotely attracted to. We should start a club, the 'Nevuh Been Kissed's! –Crickets Chirp-… or not. I'll write a soon as I have time. (Finals, yech!) Thanx!

_Tlad:_ Thanx, I thought it would be a good idea to keep the story lighthearted-ish.

_Hoshiko Megami:_ Thanks!

_Tensui:_ Thanx, I'm glad MxI is acceptable in this story!

_Amme Moto:_ Oh dear, -hands AM icepack- be careful sweetie. And of course I dedicated that chapter to you? You earned it!

_Kelso:_ Wow, thank you so much! N' I'm glad you're not a liar. ;)

_MoonLightObsession:_ What, just 4! … Just kidding! Thanks a lot!

_Mew Lemon:_ Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you like it so much.

_redmage17:_ Wow, that may have been my best review yet! Thanks a lot!

_Mew Mew Elarai:_ Thank you. It's nice to finally find someone who doesn't exaggerate about how well someone writes.

_Miharu Nakashima:_ Yay! Thankies!

* * *

**5 Days to Fall in Love**

**Chapter 5**

Wednesday-

It was ice cold outside, as she dodged between trees. Her teammates did the same. A huge shadow loomed over the Earth, cackling maniacally. Three figures about her size stood by it. A city appeared within their view.

Team Mew Mew dodged into deserted Tokyo, running through side lots and alleys. They came to a dead end. Spinning around, the three figures from before stepped into their path. It was the three aliens: Kish, Taruto, and Pai. They smirked evilly as two Chimera Animas came behind them. The five attacked.

Retassu and Minto each had their hands full, an unusually powerful Chimera Anima for each. Poor Minto… she had to fight Mickey again. Retassu had ended up fighting Francis. Keiichiro and Ryou were already dead. Zakuro didn't know how she knew, she just did.

Kish was torturing Ichigo, kissing or groping her before throwing her into a wall or hitting her with all the strength he possessed. Purin was crying, fleeing Tarurto's anger. He was throwing deranged playthings and toys at her while she did her best to dodge them.

Pai stepped forward, drawing her into his arms. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered, "Pretend to fight me." And kissed her cheek. She complied, and they fought their way into a different ally, out of view from the others. He stopped attacking her, in order to run over and passionately kiss her full, rosy lips. After a minute, he wanted to keep going, however she stepped back.

"What about my friends? I need to go help them." Pai nodded.

"I understand. Let's get up to the roof."

"Why?"

"This way we can jump down and pretend to fight. After a couple of minutes I'll feign unconsciousness and you can help your friends." He went to jump, but stopped when she called out to him.

"Pai," the alien turned to her, "Why are you bothering to pretend when you're not really going to fight? Once we defeat Deep Blue, you'll be a hero."

"Zakuro," he took her face in his hands and kissed it, "it's complicated. I don't want to leave my team to suffer once Deep Blue's gone, I need to stay by them."

"I know what you mean, I could never do that to the girls either." He smiled and kissed her again, before they made their way up to the roof, and went through with his plan.

She was just about to deliver the 'finishing blow' when, suddenly, everyone was forced to look over at Deep Blues towering shadow. Not even the aliens were able to refrain from gazing at him. He put his hand out and three gigantic waves of blue energy flew outward in a circle.

Everything next happened so fast… the buildings around them collapsed and everything was so loud and hectic for about a minute. Then, everything just stopped. Coughing, she'd pushed her way out from under the debris within minutes. Noticing the lack of movement, she set to work on locating her friends. It didn't take long, but once she found them… she wished she hadn't.

They were dead. All four girls lay motionless, crushed by the falling city. Two aliens were strewn around them. She could've sworn they were all in pieces, but she didn't stare long enough to confirm it. She ran a few feet away, and hurled. Falling to her knees, she sat there heaving for minutes on end. Tears threatened to pour from her amethyst orbs, but somehow she couldn't cry. She was just too shaken to do so.

Ichigo… Minto… Kish… Retassu… god, Purin was far too young to die. Even Taruto shouldn't have had that happen, he was just a child.

A while later she stood up on shaky legs. She walked warily; afraid her knees would buckle beneath her. She had to find Pai. She knew he'd be dead, but she just needed to search for him anyway.

"Zakuro…" her head snapped up at his voice, following the sound to a light pile of rafters and bricks. Pushing it aside, she found her love.

"Pai… PAI!" she was so happy to see him alive, but rapidly saddened. He was dieing quickly, and there was nothing she could do for him. His eyes began to flutter closed, "No Pai, don't go…" tears finally began to rush down her pale cheeks "Pai, you can't… I care too much about you…" her sad cries were futile. She leaned down and kissed him for one last time as he died.

Her head snapped up as she listened to the sardonic chuckling that echoed through the destruction. Deep Blue was _laughing_, not just at her, but also at the death of his follower.

"Pathetic fools," he bellowed, "they deserved to die, and you're next. I suggest you close those pretty little eyes now…" before she could respond, a sharp sword flew out from no where, impaling her and pinning her against the wall. Blood spilled from the very bottom of her chest and she looked up, holding her wound, as he spoke.

"It's really a shame to kill a group of such beautiful females… but, oh well. Sacrifices must be made."

"No… no… no…" she shut her eyes tilted her head back and prepared to scream.

"NO!" Zakuro shot up in bed, breathing heavily. She slapped a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. "Oh god…" she got out of bed shakily and ambled over to her bathroom. After throwing some cold water on her face, she returned to her bedroom.

"It always has to come back…" she mumbled aloud, before glancing at the clock. It was 1:38. Sighing she fell back onto the bed. She wouldn't be sleeping for a while. A sudden thought hit her: the dream hadn't felt quite as real, not been nearly as terrifying as usual. Deciding she was probably just getting too mature for nightmares, she daydreamed for a few hours before falling into a restless sleep.

Meanwhile 

(An: I'm going to make them extremely OOC in order to create the setting of not only a team but close friends, nearly brothers, as well.)

Pai entered the kitchen to see Taruto and Kish up to their usual activities. The only differences were that he was usually up before them and this time they'd stopped to stare at him as he entered.

Kish had his nose bandaged up, obviously broken. The work was done extremely crudely. Pai was usually the one to know about dressing wounds, not Taruto, who had only seen it done. The one of the first things he'd have to do after asking Kish for forgiveness is fix Tart's mess.

He chose not to say anything as he fetched his breakfast, before taking his seat at the table. Taruto wanted to say something; it was painfully obvious to the older male, however he was holding off. The kitchen was silent, except for the sounds of eating. Finally, the lavender alien decided it was time for something to happen.

"Taruto, please leave." His words left little to no room for argument, however the youngest boy ignored them.

"No."

"Tart-" he started, but was cut off.

"Taruto." Inwardly, he winced. That was cold.

"_Taruto_, I need to speak with Kish." The redhead opened his mouth again, but never got to say anything. "_Alone_."

"But-"

"Taruto get out. Now." Although shocked by Kish's harsh words, he complied and left the kitchen. There were a few moments of silence, after which Kish spoke. "Well? What do you want?" there was silence. Kish opened his mouth once more.

"I apologize."

"If you- wha?" the green alien was flabbergasted, Pai not being the type to admit defeat first… or at all.

"My actions were brash and uncalled for, you only had my best interests in mind. I shouldn't have lost my composure and punched you like that."

The older one hadn't met his gaze the entire time, but Kish didn't bother him about it. He knew doing this was a major blow to his ego and having to look him in the eye would only make things worse. Behind the slightly open door, Taruto watched wide-eyed with an open mouth.

"… I'm sorry too." Kish sighed. Pai's eyes grew slightly larger in shock and the other male explained. "I shouldn't have started ragging on you about her, especially since I'm doing the same thing. Besides, you're a big boy, you can make your own decisions." The two boys' gazes met and they silently accepted each other's apologies. "And," Kish drawled sheepishly, "I don't blame you for hitting me after I called her a slut. I probably would've done the same over Ichigo."

"I thought as much. You can come out now, Taruto." The eldest one called, turning toward the door. The young boy came barreling out and corrected him.

"Tart." The three's mouths quirked a bit, before they all returned to breakfast.

"… Pai?"

"Yes Tart, what is it?"

"Who was the 'her' Kish was talking about?" the two older boys looked at him, before turning away. After being rewarded with silence, the youngest continued. "And he said something about doing the same thing, what did he mean?"

"Mew Zakuro." Pai mumbled, afraid of reopening a can of worms.

"WHAT!" Taruto fell off his chair in shock. He had to be joking! Pai wasn't the type to fall for the enemy… but, then again, he wasn't the type to joke either.

"It's true, Tart." Kish continued. The young boy had many questions, but sensed that then wasn't the time to ask them. The three sat in a comfortable silence, before Kish finally decided to break it. With a wry grin, he turned to his comrade.

"So Pai," he smirked, "You came home pretty late last night. And, you slept in."

"So?" he narrowed his eyes warily.

"Well, did ya get laid?" Taruto, who had been drinking at the time of the question, spewed juice all over the table as Pai nearly choked on his food.

"_What!_" the exclamation was incredulous.

"Well, you obviously didn't get much sleep. What else could have happened?"

"I just didn't get back until a little after midnight, true, but we didn't do anything like _that_!"

"Pai," the youngest interrupted confusedly, "why are your lips all bruised and kinda puffy?" the questioned party's eyes widened as the green alien burst out laughing.

"'Didn't do anything', huh?" he choked out between guffaws.

"Grr… so we kissed, so what?" Kish's laughter only increased tenfold.

"You made out with a mew!" he was writhing on the floor now; even Tart was chuckling a bit.

"So she wouldn't let you get any further?" he added. Pai nearly blushed.

"Ok, tell us the truth." Kish ordered, done nearly wetting himself, "What happened last night?"

"We talked, that's it."

"Did you make out before or after you talked?"

"… Before, but it was an accident."

"'_An accident_'?" even Taruto didn't believe him. So, Pai reluctantly went on to explain what happened, keeping it as clean as possible. Tart left the room right after he started, too grossed out to stay. Apparently, he 'needed to vomit'. Once the story ended, Kish's eyes were the size of saucers.

"Wow…" he shook himself back into reality. "So you're really a gentleman under the whole emotionless façade." His counterpart glared. "Ok, so if you guys hadn't stopped making out then, do you think you would have…" he let the question hang.

"…" Pai's silence was all the answer he needed. Grinning, he continued.

"So were you getting, you know, hard?"

"…" Once again, silence. This time, he couldn't hold in laughter.

"Oh, this is priceless!" For the second time today, Kish was rolling on the floor.

"Shut up, it's not like you haven't done the same!" the other male dragged himself up from the floor. "What time is it?"

"Uh… 10:00, why?"

"We should go down to Earth and see if we can get any leads on Mew Aqua."

"Sure… and while we're there we can take a look at some billboards and magazine covers. Who knows, maybe she's not lying."

"Alright, but first let's re-bandage your nose." An hour later, the aliens were on Earth and walking through the busy city of Tokyo. Of course, they were wearing hats to conceal their ears.

"Let's ask one of these weirdos where we can find some billboards." Exclaimed Taruto, who'd been basically filled in, before rushing over to some stranger.

"A billboard?" the old lady smiled kindly at the slightly rude boys, "just around that next corner you can see a few in the distance." They muttered some quick thanks and rushed off in that direction, suddenly eager. They weren't disappointed.

"Look over there!" Kish pointed out. They weren't close enough to see what was on them, but there were definitely a huge amount of billboards. "C'mon, we can teleport near there and take a look." They reappeared on a rooftop.

"Holy crap! She's the real deal!" in front of them, on the field of billboards, were pictures of many things. About three fifths of the photographs were of Zakuro Fujiwara.

"Do you think we should look at some magazines?" Taruto asked.

"We don't need to, definitely wasn't lying…" Pai began.

"But we will anyway." Kish grinned back at the two. They teleported into a side alley and walked back into the street before asking another pedestrian where they could find a magazine stand.

"A magazine stand?" the little boy asked. "I tink dewe's one down da bwock." They thanked the young child and made their way over. Indeed, there was a stand selling many magazines. Walking over, Kish picked one up. The other two followed in suit.

"Look, 'Exclusive interview with Zakuro Fujiwara inside'." he read.

"'Fashion tips from world class supermodel Zakuro Fujiwara'."

"'Zakuro Fujiwara: why isn't she everywhere anymore? Our speculations inside'. She isn't everywhere?" Pai asked.

"Oh no… uh, Pai, you'd better take a look at this!" the other two boys crowded around Taruto. On the cover of a tabloid was a picture of Zakuro with Pai's profile. You couldn't see his ears, but there was enough visible to know it was he walking her home. Inside, there was a picture of her kissing him goodnight.

"'Zakuro Fujiwara's mystery man'! What is this?"

"A tabloid, dude." Some teenager answered Kish, "But I wouldn't listen to anything they say in there, it's all fake."

"So no one believes these?" Pai asked warily.

"Dude, I never said that! Man, like everyone listens to those things! I'm just sayin' I wouldn't if I were you." the boy skateboarded away. The three boys ran into an alley and teleported back to their ship, magazine salesman yelling at them the entire time for not paying.

"Crap… ok, here's the plan." The three gathered together at Kish's words. "The mews have lunch at the same time. When-"

"How do you know?"

"I've seen Ichigo eat with them on some days."

"… You are _such_ a stalker."

"Grr… am not! Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he glared at Tart, "when they go out to lunch we attack the mews and you" he pointed to Pai, "will get Mew Zakuro to fix this."

"How?" He asked, "She doesn't have any control over these, obviously. Look, I'm meeting her again tonight. I'll talk to her then."

"Alright, but we have to do something. People can-"

"We know; people can't know we exist yet. I'll take care of it, in the mean time we'll search for leads on Mew Aqua." They ended the conversation, stressed over the idea of their plans being ruined.

Meanwhile 

Zakuro slammed herself into a seat in the small, outdoor restaurant. Crossing her arms on the table, she put her head down on them.

"Onee-san, what's wrong?" Minto asked as the girls crowded around their teammate worriedly.

"The tabloids got a picture of-" she stopped herself. They didn't know about her and Pai yet and they couldn't find out.

"A picture of what, na no da?" Purin cocked her head.

"A picture… that they doctored so it looks like I'm having a fling."

"Well, let us see. I couldn't be _that_ bad." Ichigo half-ordered while trying to be supportive. Zakuro knew they'd think it was a doctored photo, so it was safe to show them. She threw out the magazine and there was a collective gasp.

"Oh my gosh, that's _Pai_!" Retassu exclaimed worriedly.

"Oh, poor onee-san! To be linked to a scumbag like him must be dreadful!"

"How did they make the picture on the inside, na no da?" The four uninformed girls looked inside as their friend broke out in a cold sweat.

"Zakuro… you're not actually seeing him, are you?" Ichigo asked slowly, afraid of what her answer would be.

"Of course not! I wouldn't be seen with _him_!" Being an actress really paid off. "Look, let's just forget about this and have lunch. I'll buy." Suddenly, Purin gasped.

"Are you injured, na no da?" she asked worriedly.

"Just because she offered to buy us lunch doesn't mean she's sick, Purin." Retassu attempted to explain kindly.

"But her neck is bruised, na no da!" They all turned toward their friend, whose hair was pulled back into a braid for school.

"What is it?" The four girls moved toward their friend. Unfortunately for her, the cover-up she'd used had worn off and a dark contusion in the shape of a pair of lips was clearly visible.

"Onee-san… what, or who, was biting your neck?" Minto asked worriedly, looking into her idol's eyes. Everyone was waiting expectantly for an answer.

Zakuro had to think quickly. She couldn't tell them the actual truth; they'd blow a gasket. Instead she'd just have to… _bend_ the truth a bit. A little, itty-bitty white lie never hurt anyone… right? Ugh, that'd never work. She'd just have to get defensive… while bending the truth a little.

"My injuries are none of your business." Her features grew hard and cold. "This was from the other night when I was attacked and I'd prefer not to talk about."

"All right… but it doesn't have anything to do with Pai?" the green girl whispered.

"Of course not!" the half-wolf snapped back, "I have nothing to do with those phony stories the media loves to concoct! Now, order before I change my mind." Each girl quickly flipped her menu open and shut-up. Soon they were sitting, munching on various types of food.

"Ah! We have to go, you guys!" Ichigo yelped, grabbing her bag. The other girls followed in suit while Zakuro paid for the meal. Soon, they'd sprinted their way back to school and into their separate rooms. The rest of the day breezed by for the group, soon bringing them back to the café for work. Zakuro had applied more cover-up when she stopped home and had smartly taken it with her, just in case.

"Oh no," Retassu squeaked, pulling her four companions into the kitchen, "it's that guy again!"

"What guy, na no da?" Purin cocked her head confusedly.

"That creepy one from yesterday." The group looked alarmed, and appalled.

"Should we get Keiichiro to serve him again?" Ichigo suggested.

"Don't be so incredibly stupid." Minto objected, "No, today's even busier than when he first showed up. Keiichiro is far too preoccupied."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" the cat hissed back hotly. Retassu tried to squelch the oncoming argument.

"Please, we need to focus on the matter at hand-" her attempts were futile until an older, calmer voice spoke.

"Purin should take care of it." Everyone stopped and turned.

"But onee-san, she's just a little kid."

"Exactly," she explained, "This guy seems to be many things but it's quite obvious that a pedophile isn't one of them. She'll be fine." The youngest gave a determined nod and bounced out towards the man.

"Welcome to Café Mew Mew, I'm Purin n' I'll be your server for the day, na no da! Today's specials are Pudding Tarts and Apple Turnovers. Are you ready to order or do you need more time, na no da?" the blond smiled brightly at the scowling male.

"Give me da Cheesecake and Natto Tea." He ordered rudely.

"Ok, your order will be out in minutes!" Purin then flounced away towards the kitchen. "Keiichiro, order up, na no da!"

"Good job, Purin!" Ichigo complimented, carrying in some empty plates.

"Yeah, you did really well." Retassu smiled as she passed by the two, arms filled with plates of food. The youngest female quickly grabbed some of the load before disaster struck.

"Is it just me, or does something about Retassu seem… _off_ today?" Ichigo cocked her head while talking to Zakuro. The waitress only shrugged, before walking away with a secret smirk.

"It _is_ quite odd," agreed Minto who'd over heard the girl's question, "she hasn't even dropped anything yet. Usually by now we'd have had to send her over to the register and Ryou'd be taking care of damage control." Then, as an after thought, she added, "She seems so talkative and… _peppy_." The redhead nodded to her companion.

"Perhaps she's having a good day?" the elder girl offered, once done listening in on their conversation. "Surely you can't expect her to be like that all the time. I'm sure she merely needed a self-image boost."

"I guess, but when did she get one?" Ichigo wondered, finger on her lip.

"Last night, obviously, since she's been like this all day. It just increased tenfold since we came to work." The third waitress answered in her usual rude fashion and as a result another fight began to brew. The third girl used the distraction as an opportunity to steal away and see their aforementioned companion.

Meanwhile, the very friend they were discussing walked back from serving a table, arms void of plates.

"Hey!" the green haired girl squeaked as she was pulled aside by a pair of hands belonging to an unseen body.

"Shh! Retassu, it's me." A voice whispered harshly, tickling her ear. Her cheeks flushed as she identified her unknown 'captor'.

"Hi Ryou." He leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"We still on for Friday?" an even deeper shade of red crept up her neck.

"Yeah, can't wait."

"Cool, pick you up at 8?"

"Mhm, see you there." She gave him one last peck before sneaking back out towards the kitchens. She was half way there when yet another pair of arms reached out to grab her.

"Hey!"

"Quiet, Retassu. What happened last night?"

"I'll tell you later, there's a build up of costumers that need to be waited on."

Zakuro answered with a nod and the two girls slipped towards the kitchen, seemingly unnoticed. But they hadn't gone unnoticed; the blond man with spike hair noticed them leave, eyes trailing up and down their forms lecherously and examining their flouncing skirt lines as they walked in the direction directly opposite from him.

"So we meeuht again, guhly…"

He grinned, showing off his disgusting teeth. Getting up, he paid for his recently arrived food and exited the café. The rest of the day went by in a blur for the girls. Soon they were out of their work uniforms, everything was closed up, and they were ready to go looking for Mew Aqua.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

RS: Yet another chapter from yours truly! Leave a nice review, S'il vous plaite! N' I'm sorry to say it make take a while to update.


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